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View synonyms for

noodle

1

[nood-l]

noun

  1. a narrow strip of unleavened egg dough that has been rolled thin and dried, boiled, and served alone or in soups, casseroles, etc.; a ribbon-shaped pasta.



noodle

2

[nood-l]

noun

  1. Slang.

    1. the head.

    2. the mind.

  2. a fool or simpleton.

noodle

3

[nood-l]

verb (used without object)

noodled, noodling 
  1. to improvise a musical passage in a casual manner, especially as a warm-up exercise.

  2. Informal.

    1. to play; toy.

      to noodle with numbers as a hobby.

    2. to improvise, experiment, or think creatively.

      The writers noodled for a week and came up with a better idea for the ad campaign.

verb (used with object)

noodled, noodling 
  1. Informal.

    1. to manipulate or tamper with.

      She denied that she had noodled the statistics to get a favorable result.

    2. to make or devise freely as an exercise or experiment (sometimes followed byup ).

      The architects noodled up a model of a solar house.

verb phrase

  1. Informalto play, experiment, or improvise.

noodle

4

[nood-l]

verb (used with or without object)

Chiefly Midland U.S.
noodled, noodling 
  1. to catch fish, especially catfish, with only one’s bare hands.

    We watched him noodle a 62-pound flathead catfish.

    Their video on how to noodle for some pretty monstrous catfish includes footage from several rivers in Oklahoma.

noodle

1

/ ˈԳːə /

noun

  1. a slang word for head

  2. a simpleton

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noodle

2

/ ˈԳːə /

noun

  1. (often plural) a ribbon-like strip of pasta: noodles are often served in soup or with a sauce

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noodle

3

/ ˈԳːə /

verb

  1. slang(intr) to improvise aimlessly on a musical instrument

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • noodler noun
  • noodling noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of noodle1

First recorded in 1770–80; from German Nudel

Origin of noodle2

First recorded in 1745–55; perhaps variant of noddle (with oo from fool 1 )

Origin of noodle3

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; origin uncertain

Origin of noodle4

First recorded in 1920–25; origin unknown
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Word History and Origins

Origin of noodle1

C18: perhaps a blend of noddle 1 and noodle 1

Origin of noodle2

C18: from German Nudel, origin obscure
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He noodles on it, playing a mix of Black Sabbath and reggae.

From

The mother explained her son had spent long periods self-isolating in his cell eating noodles, because he was too scared to visit the canteen or showers.

From

Located above Thai Angel, known for its DJ sets and late-night noodles, newly minted teahouse Jai offers a quieter, more intimate space to spend weekend nights.

From

But the bones are the same: tender chicken, shredded cabbage, crunchy noodles and a sesame-forward dressing.

From

The sauce, the noodles—it was a whole process.

From

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